Antonio mendes teixeira



A. M. EIXHRA. ELECTRICAL FURNACEl APPucATlgN HLED Nov. 1. ma.

1 ,3 1 3,761 I Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

. UNITED STATES. PATENT ANTONIO MENDES TEIXEIRA. on TPANEMA, so PAULO. BRAZIL.

l' ELECTRICAL FURNACE.

ToaZZ Iwhom t may concern:

` Be it known that I, ANTONIO llIENoE-s'v TEIXEIRA, a citizen of the United States of and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make land use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in furnaces used in the' reduction or treatment of iron or other ores, and the objects of my invention are to carry out in asingle appa vratus the reduction of the ore, and the refning of the molten metal so reduced.

In the case'of a furnace for the manufacture of steel, the ore is reduced in the presence of carbon, the excess carbon is re moved from the iron, and the steel is re' fined, as will be hereinafter described.

:The apparatus Ima-y be used also to make 'ji iron 'f or iron or steel allo s or to treat and refineL the ores of other metals.

As part of the invention I purpose teeffect'the above mentioned operations simultaneously vby means of the internal movements of thecharge and of the molten metal, through proper arrangements of the apparat-us hereinafter described'.

The invention is specially iii-tended to carry -outthey operations aforesaid continuously' andi ona large scale.

Inorder to. provide for the continuous operation ofthe furnace ,it is important to provide for easy access -to the various arts ofthe furnace likely to Vbecome clogge upv or. otherwise rendered inoperative, and also to provide for convenience in replacing or repairing those-parts of the furnace that are likely to become worn out, or prove defective under the severe conditions to which such* apparatus is necessarily subjected.

It is specially desirable that such repairs possiblew-ithout throwing -the entire ap-y paratus out of operation, or interfering ma# l teriallyA with the continuous operation ofthe Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

appucationmed November 7, 191s. serial No. 261,505.

trated in- .the accompanying drawing, ,in

which like parts are indicated by similar reference symbols throughout the several views, and in which: Figure 1 is a vertice furnace;I

Fig. 2, two

Aof the figure a section along the line 2-2 l 'section of the entire I' halfv cross-sectional .plan lviews l of the furnace, showing in` the upper half;

of Fig. I; and the lower half of the figure a section along theline Qae-Qa of Fig. I;

Fig. 3, is a vertical section of one ofthe open hearth electricjfurnaces and along the broken line 3,-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. Il is a view, on a smaller scale, partly Ain section and partly in plan, of a modified form of apparatus. The drawings show an ordinary shaft furnace connected at its base to a series of open hearth electric furnaces, Vconstructed as will be hereinafter described.

Three electric furnaces are showrnbut the number and arrangement yof vthese electric furnaces may be varied'to suit the requirements of the specific apparatus.

Referring first to Figs. l to 3, A representsV a shaftl furnace of the usualwell knowntype provided with a charging hopper a, and the' -slope a near the bottom and the. bottom opening a2. f B represents the blast pipe connected to` the opening in the manifold B which is connected to the t-wyers b operating in the.. usual way.

C represents the escape pipe for the gases located' near the top of the furnace. The shaft furnace A rests on the refractory support D,

the opening a2 in the bottom of the furnace,

perforated as atti to register with l and this restson the partition blocks E of".A

refractory-material. The hearth of the central shaft furnace -is connected by the passages f with the various open hearthsFQ'F" and F3 provided in the mass of refractory material F. These hearths are'connecte'dit get h'er by side .passages f', 'and the bottom of'.

vthese passages isfat higher level thanzthe of the individual hearths, for rebottoml sons which 4Will'be hereinafterdescribed.V

The group wall of refractory material F sheathed .withof hearths is surrounded by. l. 1

metal G. In this Wall. are the tapholes g to draw oil' the slag, and g to draw of the molten metal. f'

The parts E, F and G just referred to, and the parts supported thereby rest on a suitable :foundation H of concrete, or other suitable material. The tops of the respective open hearths are closed by suitable roofs I provided with stuffing boxes to permit the passage therethrough' of the electrodes L. The tops of the passages f are also provided with roofs K,\vhich roofs are provided with openings ko, closed by the doors fathroiigh whiclropenings charcoal, coke, oil or other materialsv for reducing or refining or for making alloys may be supplied to the electric furnaces when desired.

rThe 'electrodes L are supplied with current of any suitable number of phases from the conductors L', and may Vbe carried effin the usual Way through the opposite electrodes, or through the neutral connection L for star connected three phase circuits, or

in any other convenient vivay. The lmethod of applying and carrying ott the currents not being part of my present invention will not be further described herein, except that the number of electrodes may sary according to the phases ot the current; but it is preferable to use one electrode or a neutral in the hearth of each electric furnace correspond ing to each vertical electrode or group oi electrodes. The electrodes should enter the furnaces in the vertical posit-ion,v and should be spaced a suHicient distance from the slope of the ore, so that they neither run the risk lof being broken by the falling doivn ,of the 'charge nor of being destroyed through con tact with metallic oxid.

The electrodes are adjust-ably suspended by the cords M from the arms N carried by the stanchions N of the frame work of the apparatus,- or in any convenient ivay.

In order to securel access to any one of the electric furnaces, the electrodes may be withdrawn from that furnace, and the roof may be lifted olf.

In the same way in order to secure access to the parts around the side passages f', thev roofs K may be removed, il access through the doors is not sutlicient.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, instead .of there being a single 'outer Wall, as shown at G in Figs. l and 2, each electric furnace forms a separate removable unit, the two being connected together by removable connecting blocks and also removablv connected to the base of the central shaft furnace. Thus, for instance, each electric` furnace P consists of a separate removable mass ,of refractory material provided on those parts away from the heat of the furnace with metal sheathing p, which is Banged at the ends as at p" or connected in iangcs g2, or other suitable connection, the.

partition blocks E", at the base of the central shaft furnace are also sheathed as at e, and the sheathing is iianged atc to be bolted tot-headjacent flanges p of the electric -furnace P'.

There is tliu.s`io,'nied an air space R be tween the blocks ED and Q, and the adjacent liearths P. Thus it 'will be seen that any one' et the furnaces may be removed, the corresponding nassages (le and j being closed and the apparatus continue to operate with one or nore of the remaining furnaces; or one furnace can be put out of operation by closing up the adjacent passages Q2 and f'.

. The carbon or other material may be i-nserted 'with the chargeI in the central shaft furnace, or the carbon or other reducing and refining materials, or materials used for making alloys' may be inserted through the doors As the charge in the shatt turna'ce is heated up the metal melts and flows down' and assumes the same level in the various open hearth electric furnaces, Where the process ot' reining .or making `the alloy is .carried on, the position of the electrodes being controlled in the usual Well known Way, and the current being also controlled as desired, as is 'Well known in 'the art.

'The hot gases generated in the electric furnaces, having no .other Way to escape, will enter the opening a2 in the bottom of the shaft furnace, and will rise up through the charge, accelerating the fusion and reducing the ore.

The heat. generated in the hearth of the electric furnaces is transmitted to the' 'charge in the shaft by the gases 'from the hearth and by the molte-n metal, which has immersed in it the bottom of the column of the charge. Thus. the molten metal in the electric furnaces and in the bottom of the shaft is invfrom the adjacent electric furnaces may be made to iow through the lateral channels into the electric furnace that vhas been blocked up by rising the level of the molten r metal. and so the melting or displacement of the solid material. which is the prime cause of the obstruct-ion. is eected by means of the molten niet-al acting on both sides of the obstruction,l .f To secure this result it is delsirable thatthe highest elevation in the botu tom `of the ychannel should be between the inaximumf and-the normal levelsv of the molten metal in; the 'entire system. 'Iz Any coke or charcoal inserted through the doors-:zic will .floati on the melted slag, and

`will have the effect of preventing the consuch, for instance,.1as carrying part ofthe gases doun from 'the pipe C, as is Well known in the fart, or byvinserting oil through the vdoors c, or other suitable cooling means may he adopted, if desired.

lt will be obi-'ions that various modifications might be made in the herein described apparatusand .in the construction, combination and arrangement' of parts which could be used without departing from the spirit of .my invention, and I do not mean to limit the invention such details except as particularlv ointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention Vwhat I claim and desire toy secure by Letters Patent of the United States is tw l. The combination. with central shaft furnace, cf a group of elect-ric furnaces surrounding the hase of the shaft furnace, and connected with one another through the hearth of the shaft furnace, and also by means .of lateral channels located exterior of the hearth of the shaft furnace, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a cent-ral shaftv furnace, of a group of electric furnaces surrounding the base of the shaft furnace, and connected with one another through the hearth of the shaft furnace, and also by means of lateral channels located exterior of the hearth of the shaft furnace, and each electric furnace being provided with a sepac rate removable roof, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a central shaft furnace, of a group of electric furnaces surrounding .the base of the shaft furnace, and

connected with one another through the hearth of the shaft furnace, and also by means of lateral channels located exterior of the hearth of the shaft furnace, and each electric furnace being provided with aseparate removable roof, and each of saidchannels being provided with a separate roof, `with doors in said roof for permittingthe insertion of reducing, decarbonizing,l refining and alloying materials, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a central shaft furnace, of a group of electric furnaces surrounding the base of the shaftfurnace, and connected with one another through the hearth of the shaft furnace, 'and also by means of lateral channels located exterior of the hearth of the shlaft furnace, the said lateral channels being shallower than the hearth of thev various electric, furnaces and the bottom of the shaft furnace, substantially as described.'

. l5. The combination with a .central shaft furnace, of agroup of electric furnaces surrounding the base of the sha-ft furnace, and connected withv one another through, the hearth of the shaft furnace, and also by means of lateralchannels located exterior of the hearth of the shaft furnace, the lsaid lateral lchannels being shallower than the l'iearth of the various electric furnaces and the bottom of the shaft furnace, `substan-l tially as described.

6. The combination with a central shaft furnace,of a Group of electric furnaces surrounding the ase of the shaft furnace, and connected with one another through the hearth of the shaft furnace, and also by means of lateral channels located exterior of the hearth of the shaft furnace, the said lateral channels being shalloiver than the hearth of. the various electric furnaces, and each electric furnace being provided with a separate re ova-ble roof, and each of said channels bei .g provided with a' separate roof` with doors in-said roof for permitting the insertion of materials into the electric furnaces, substantially as described. 7. The combination with a central' shaft furnace, of a group of electric furnaces surrounding the base of the shaft furnace, .and connected with one another through the hearth of the shaft furnace, and also by means of lateral channels located exterior of the hearth of the shaft furnace, and the various electric furnaces being included in an outer wall of refractory material, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a central shaft furnace, of a group of electric furnaces surrounding the base of the shaft furnace, and connected with one another through the hearth of the shaft furnace, andalso by means of lateral. channels located exterior of' the hearth ofthe shaft furnace, and each electric furnace being provided with a separate removable roof, and the various electric furnaces being included in an outer Wall of refractory material, substantially as described. 1

9. The combination with a central shaft furnace, of a grbup ofvelectric furnaces surrounding the base of the shaft furnace, and connected with4 one another thro h the hearth of the shaft furnace, and so by means of lateral channels located exterior of ioo rate removable roof, and each of said chan nels being provided With a separatel roof,

with doois in said roof for permitting the insertion of refining or other material., and

the various electric furnaces being included in an outer wall of refractory material, substantially as described.`

10; The combinationwith a central shaft' furnace', of a roup of electric furnaces surrounding the ase of the shaft-furnace, and connected with one another through the hearth of the shaft furnace, and also by means of lateral channels located exterior of. the hearth of the shaft furnace, the said. lat-k eral channels being shallowerthan the hearth of the various electric furnaces, and

the various electric furnaces being included means of lateral channels located exterior of the hearth of the shaft furnace, the said lateral channels being shallower than the ilieartli of the various electric furnaces, and

Ithe various electric furnaces being included f in an outer Wall of refractory material, and veach electricfurnace Vprovided With vertical electrodes far apart from the reducing shaft, thus out of Contact with the slope of the charge, substantially as described.

.ANTONIO MENDES TEIXEIRA. 

